Bend Physician’s Medical Mission a Success

Dr. Randy Jacobs, a Medical Teams International volunteer, helped save 150-300 lives a day for a month in southwest Uganda. This emergency room doctor from Bend, Ore., cared for thousands of displaced Congolese families who fled severe violence and intense rebel fighting in their homeland.

Most have witnessed shocking atrocities and traveled dozens of miles on foot into the safety of neighboring Uganda.

Media: Dr. Randy Jacobs has photos and videos from his trip and is also available for interviews. Please call Marlene Minor at 503-341-6620 for more information.

Aid workers estimate that more than 5.4 million people have died in this decade-long conflict which primarily affects the central African countries of Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and Uganda. Up to 45,000 people continue to die each month—most of them women and children—from easily treated diseases like malaria, upper respiratory conditions and chronic diarrhea. Medical Teams International recently received a $594,000 grant for continued work with Congolese refugees from the U.S. State Department.

“Our work was lifesaving for the 20,000 refugees,” says Dr. Jacobs. “Our team treated 150-300 acutely ill patients per day, six days per week, mostly women and children. Severe malaria, systemic infections, dehydration, pneumonia, malnutrition, and obstetrical care along with acute injuries and abscesses were daily challenges.”